Nick Hardwick is on the mend. In March, Hardwick was forced to have surgery for a severely sprained right foot that had plagued him since last October. The surgery, which was performed the day he and his wife Jayme were due to leave for a trip to Maui and Australia, typically requires a four to six-month rehabilitation period. Hardwick is optimistic though that he’ll be healed and ready to go in time for the opening of training camp.



Hardwick is a key cog in the offensive line. In addition to his responsibilities as a run blocker, Hardwick plays a huge role in pass protection and calling out the blocking signals for the entire offensive line. He’s been a starter since his rookie season in 2004 and the Chargers have rushed for at least 2,000 yards each of those seasons, including a team-record 2,578 yards in 2006. With Hardwick leading the way, LaDainian Tomlinson was named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player in ’06 and has won the last two NFL rushing titles.



Hardwick’s route to the NFL was not a common one. A standout prep wrestler, he enrolled at Purdue intent on wrestling for the Boilermakers. That all changed however after former Chargers QB Drew Brees led the Boilermakers to the 2001 Rose Bowl and Hardwick saw the excitement that it generated on the West Lafayette, Indiana campus. The following fall, he decided to walk on to the school’s football team. A year after earning a spot as a defensive tackle on the scout team, Hardwick became the team’s starting center and earned all-conference honors. In 2004, the Chargers made him a third-round draft pick and he’s been a starter ever since. Hardwick’s wife, Jayme, is also a former Boilermaker, having played soccer for Purdue’s women’s team.



Nick enjoys a wide range of extreme sports including surfing, snowboarding and skateboarding. The 300-pounder often can be seen paddling out on his 10-foot Ace longboard at Tourmaline Street, one of San Diego’s premier longboard surfing spots. The Point Loma resident also enjoys skateboarding and rides his long skateboard on the boardwalks of San Diego’s beaches. One of many Chargers with an interest in classic cars, Hardwick owns a 1975 Chrysler Cordoba.